Jessie’s rant of the week

I can handle a lot of idiocy. I really can. What I can’t handle is sexist idiocy. This past Tuesday night, I was at my friend Gina’s house. When I went to leave, I put Averie in the car and then turned the key and…. the car clicked and didn’t start. I called my husband because he’s a mechanic and described to him the issue and he said it was my starter. Gina’s husband, Chris looked at it as well and he said the same thing (He’s also a mechanic).

Once we determined that it really wasn’t going to start, I called for a tow truck (Luckily, I have roadside service through my insurance). The tow truck guy got there after about an hour and let me tell you, he was one of the most sexist guys ever. He pulls up and says, “What’s wrong with it?” I told him that it wouldn’t start because of the starter. He then said, without even looking at the car, “It’s probably a dead battery…” I explained to him that it was not a dead battery and that I know what it sounds like when you try and start a car with a dead battery. He looked at me with a very condescending look and said, “I jump it.” Once again, I tried to explain to him that jumping my car would do no good because it’s not a dead battery. He then asked for my keys and said, “I will show you that it the battery.” (Yes, his grammar was terrible)

I handed him they keys and chuckled at him. He said, “watch, you know what you’re talking about, right?” in a very condescending tone. He turns the key, it made the click noise that it made when I tried to start it which CLEARLY did not sound like it was a dead battery and said, “See… It’s the battery… I need to jump it to get it on my truck,” Mind you guys, Chris had already tried to jump it and it did nothing for it. At this point, I’m getting irritated because he was not listening and was clearly not mechanically knowledgeable. I said, “Do you think I would of called for you to come tow my car if I could get it to start?!” He just stared at me like I didn’t know what I was talking about. I walked over to Gina and told her what was going on and asked her to call her Husband out here to deal with this guy.

I walked back over to the car and the idiot tow truck guy was looking for the battery to try and jump it and HE COULDN’T FIND IT. I told him it was under the air filter cover. He then tugs at the cover like he can’t understand why it isn’t coming off… I told him that he has to unlatch it from both sides…. I did it for him… Chris walks out and tells him that jumping it will do no good because it isn’t the battery. Tow truck driver stared at him with a blank stare and said, “Oh… really?” YES REALLY, I JUST TOLD YOU THAT. Chris tells him that he tried to jump it with a car jumper that he’s jumped semi’s with. The guy just continues to stare at Chris. Chris said, “If you want to waste time and jump it, go ahead…” So of course, the guy tries, but COULDN’T TELL WHERE THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE SIDES WERE AND HAD NO IDEA WHERE TO HOOK THE CABLES UP AT. When he hooked the cables up on his side, he only hooked one side up. Chris literally helped him with jumping the car.

Guess what guys?! IT DIDN’T WORK!

My husband is a mechanic and I’ve been with him for 6 years. Gina’s husband is also a mechanic and she’s been with him for just as long AND she’s worked in automotive shops. We all know some things about car issues.

Gina was standing by Chris, watching the tow truck guy try to put the air filter cover back on and HE COULDN’T DO IT. What I love about Gina is, she has no filter and will say anything that pretty much comes to her mind. Well, that’s exactly what happened. She walked away laughing and said, “He thinks he knows that it is a battery issue but he can’t even get the air filter cover back on!”

Or even take it off…..

After the idiot tow truck driver figured out that it really wasn’t the battery, he proceeded trying to get it on his truck. He couldn’t figure out how to move my car to be able to angle his truck in there to get my car up on his truck… Once again, Chris to the rescue. He literally PUSHED my car when it was in neutral. Apparently that was too hard for the tow truck guy to figure out…

After he gets my car on his truck, he asks, “How far is it from here?” I tell him where it’s by and he just said, Okay and started walking away. I asked him if he needed the address (Even though I had given it to the dispatch person on the phone) and he said, no and that he had it. IF YA FREAKING HAD IT, WHY THE HELL ARE YOU ASKING WHERE AND HOW FAR IT IS FROM HERE? Google maps literally tells you all of that!

First of all, I called a TOW TRUCK PERSON, not a wanna be Mechanic. I specifically told him that I am married to a mechanic who has been one for the last 20 years. I did not need nor want him to try and diagnose my car, I just wanted him to tow it.

Gina took me and Averie home because there was no way I was getting in the car with that guy and I am so glad I didn’t because as we were following him back to my house, he was all over the road and even RAN A FOUR WAY STOP AT NIGHT TIME! He must of felt like an idiot when he got to my house because my husband was waiting outside and the guy literally just unloaded my car and left without saying a word to my husband. I guess he didn’t want to share his mad mechanic skills with my husband.

Just because I am a woman, men shouldn’t assume I don’t know anything about a specific topic. They have no idea who I am and what I’ve learned. That concludes my weekly rant. Have a fantastic day!

Ugh, I don’t know what I would have done but sexism really gets on my last nerve! I hope writing this was therapeutic, I know ranting really helps me out, even if it’s just jotting it down (or venting to my dogs haha)

Oh my gosh, I’ve been in similar situations. Especially when it comes to cars. My dad has been building and repairing street cars and high performance cars since he was a teenager. I know a lot more about cars than the average person. I’ve been looked down on for it too. So frustrating.